A Fresh Pallet
by Zetor
Summary: Misty heads down to Pallet Town when she hears Ash is back from Kalos, only to spend the day with a completely different trainer.
1. Chapter 1

Misty Waterflower's short orange ponytail fluttered in the wind as she sped across the water on the back of her Gyarados. Riding in the summer always felt great; the rush of air countered the worst of the summer heat, resulting in a warm breeze of salty ocean air. It was a lot like the feeling of riding a bike along the coast.

The thought of biking brought an amused smile to the young woman's face; it seemed appropriate, given where she was headed. Memories of following a certain dark haired pokémon trainer across three regions on the context of getting him to repair her ruined bike ran through her mind. The idea was pretty ridiculous in hindsight, especially considering how rarely she actually used her bike these days. Of course, the bike had been more of an excuse than anything else long before her sisters called her home to take over the Cerulean gym. Traveling and spending time together with her friend Ash had quickly become about something very different for her, not that _he_ ever noticed.

Thankfully, the small port on the southern border of Pallet Town came into view, providing a welcome distraction from the unpleasant line of thought that was all too familiar to the water-type trainer. Making landfall, she hopped off her pokémon and gave the massive serpentine beast an affectionate pat before returning it to its pokéball for a well deserved rest. After a short stretch, she adjusted her signature ponytail and started down the simple dirt road that led to her old friend's house.

The call from his mother, Delia, the previous week letting her know that he was in town had been a pleasant surprise; it was an unfortunately rare occurrence, given all the traveling he did. The older woman never failed to impress her. It was hard enough for her to be out of contact with a friend for so long; she couldn't imagine what it must be like for his mother. He really needed to stop all his globetrotting and just settle down already. For Delia.

The house looked as well cared for as ever, the clean white siding and bright red roof standing out from the other homes along the dusty road. The young woman had only been there a handful of times, but somehow it felt like home. She found herself pausing at the edge of the walkway leading up to the house, one hand resting on the white picket fence that lined the yard. With a final steadying breath, she put on a smile, walked up to the door, and knocked.

After a few moments passed with no response, she raised her hand to knock again, but was stopped by a nasal voice she couldn't quite place. "They're out of town."

"What?" Misty asked reflexively. As the information registered, she turned around to find Gary Oak, the former rival of the person she'd come to visit, with his Umbreon nuzzling his leg affectionately.

"Their Mr. Mime won a trip to Alola," the spiky haired brunette explained, kneeling down and scratching his pokémon behind its ear. Looking up and noticing Misty's confused expression, he shook his head and added, "Yeah, don't ask me how it entered a lottery."

"No—I mean, yeah, that's weird—but Mrs. Ketchum called me just last week and told me Ash was in town," Misty argued, trying to make sense of the situation.

Gary gave his dark-type a final scratch, then stood up and shrugged. "She must have forgotten you were coming. She can get pretty distracted when Ash is in town, probably because it's so rare." His words were empathetic, if a bit bitter toward the end, without a trace of the mocking tone Misty remembered from years ago.

Heaving a dejected sigh, Misty shook her head and said, "No, it's my fault. I didn't tell her I was coming. I got a break from work and figured he'd still be in town a _week later_."

"Well, there's your mistake," Gary said with a chuckle. "You expected _Ash Ketchum_ to stay in one place for longer than it takes to restock his backpack."

Misty found herself smiling. With a playful roll of her eyes, she agreed, "Yeah. What was I thinking?" Realizing something, she asked, "Wait, what are _you_ doing here? The last I heard, you were in Sinnoh studying with Professor Rowan."

The young researcher diverted his gaze and, not really answering the question, said, "I came home a few months ago." After a moment of awkward silence, he asked, "Do you want to get something to eat? You must be hungry after coming all the way from Cerulean."

"Seriously?" Misty responded in surprised disbelief, caught her completely off-guard. It felt a little weird being asked out by a guy she remembered best as her friend's annoying rival. She reminded herself that it had been years since then, and that she certainly wasn't the same person she had been back then. He was right about her being hungry too.

"Hey, if you don't want to—" Gary began.

"No! I mean, sure. Let's get something to eat," Misty blurted out, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment at her awkwardness.

If Gary noticed, he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned toward town, and said, "There's not exactly much selection out here in the boonies, but luckily, what we do have is pretty good." His Umbreon trilled in agreement, and started down the road to town.

Misty laughed. "I guess I'll take Umbreon's word for it," she said, following the pokémon.

* * *

To say that Pallet Town was small would be an understatement. It was the least populated town in the Kanto region, and very decentralized. Historically it had been a ranching village, but it had been known for Professor Oak's laboratory for all of Misty's life. The small town was a pleasant change of pace from her own home of Cerulean; the people were all friendly, and everyone seemed to know each other.

Several smiling townspeople greeted Gary on the way into town, and Misty was pleasantly surprised when he briefly paused the conversation they were having to nod or say a few words in response each time. The two teens were catching up on what each other had been doing since they saw each other last. Gary had apparently been doing research around Kanto and the neighboring Johto, before being offered an internship studying rare pokémon with Professor Rowan in Sinnoh. Misty had felt a bit embarrassed about her own relatively tame experiences running the Cerulean gym, but Gary seemed genuinely interested in Pokémon League policies and the complexities of running a gym.

The young gym leader had just finished explaining the process of selecting the right pokémon to suit the number of badges a challenger had, when Gary stopped in front of a small restaurant in the meager cluster of buildings that made up Pallet Town proper. Holding open the door, he asked, "So, do you do a lot of training to get your Pokémon to hold back?"

"Thanks," Misty said, following Umbreon past the young man. "Yeah, though some just won't work at certain levels. I keep Staryu unevolved for trainers without many badges, and I can only use Gyarodos against the stronger ones, especially its mega evolution."

"Wait, you have a Gyaradosite?" Gary asked in surprise as he walked into the small waiting area at the front of the restaurant and held up two fingers to the hostess, who smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. I heard some rumors about there being one in the caves in Mount Silver, so I took some time off last year and found it," Misty explained, following the hostess to a booth next to the window and taking a seat.

"How do you not lead with _that_?" Gary asked, shaking his head in disbelief as he sat down across from Misty.

The hostess cleared her throat and asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh, sorry," Misty said, with a small blush. "I'll have green tea."

"Coffee, thanks," Gary said, "and some milk for my Umbreon."

The hostess nodded and placed a menu down in front of each trainer. "Your server will be with you in a moment with your drinks."

"Thanks," Misty responded, picking up her menu as the woman walked away. The variety was surprising, given the small town.

Gary stared at Misty and asked, "Are we just going to sit here and ignore the fact that you went into Mount Silver _alone_? Putting aside that most trainers aren't even _allowed_ to go near those caves, you dug a mega stone out of one of the most dangerous places in Kanto and Johto. How can you call your life boring?"

Misty lowered her menu and smirked at the young man sitting across from her. "Is the great Gary Oak _jealous_?" she teased.

"Hey, there are some rare pokémon up there I'd love to take a look at. Do you realize how hard it is to get a permit?" the young researcher replied, matching her smirk. "Seriously though, don't sell yourself short."

"I guess I _am_ pretty amazing," Misty joked.

"And modest too," Gary added with joking sarcasm, raising his eyebrows.

"Shut up," Misty managed to say, unable to hold back a burst of laughter.

"So where's your key stone?" Gary asked, craning his neck to look for the item in question.

Misty smiled as she reached up and carefully undid her ponytail, letting her orange hair fall down and frame her face. She held the blue hair tie up in front of her, the stone in question dangling from it. "A girl's got to have some jewelry."

"I prefer something less complicated," Gary countered, shaking back his left sleeve to reveal a simple leather bracelet with a similar stone set in it. "You ought to try it yourself; you look good with your hair down."

Misty set unpacking the compliment aside for a moment, and leaned forward to eagerly ask, "So, which of your pokémon?" She hadn't had the chance to meet many trainers with a pokémon that could mega evolve and had been looking for a chance to test Mega Gyarodos' limits. She'd sparred with her old friend Brock's Mega Steelix a few times, but Mega Gyarodos' type advantage kept the ground-type from being enough of a challenge to really see how far it could go.

Gary smiled fondly down at the keystone on his wrist, his right hand drifting to a well worn pokéball on his hip. "My very first, Blastoise. Gramps gave me the Blastoisite as a gift when I moved back. He said he got it from Professor Sycamore to test out."

"How is Professor Oak?" Misty asked, settling back into her seat. She definitely wanted to battle Gary and his Mega Blastoise, but that could wait until after they ate.

Gary turned his head to look out the window. "He's fine, getting older I guess. Can't keep up with the pokémon as well as he used to, sleeps more; that kind of thing."

"Well, I guess that happens to everyone," Misty said awkwardly, lowering her head and staring at her menu. She didn't really have much experience with older people, and wasn't sure what to say. Instead, she asked, "So, what do you recommend?"

Gary took a moment to react, seemingly lost in thought. When the question registered, he lifted his own menu and looked it over. "Hmm… Well, the produce from the latest harvest should be in stock by now, so probably something with a lot of vegetables."

Misty covered her mouth, muffling a short laugh. Grinning, she asked, "You keep track of the _harvest_?"

Gary's face flushed and he sharply retorted, "Well, excuse me! There's not exactly a lot to do in a small town like this, and that's what passes for news. We can't all run gyms in the city and go trotting of to Mt. Silver whenever we want."

Misty's muscles tensed and she pushed as far back into the cushioning of the booth as she could, instinctively putting distance between herself and the angry young man sitting across from her. After a moment of processing, she forced her body to relax and tried to figure out what had just happened. She and Gary had been teasing back and forth since they'd run into each other in front of Delia's house, but it had been playful. At least, she thought it had.

Looking across the table, she saw Gary staring down, his head resting in the palm of his right hand. Even though she couldn't see his face, Misty could tell by the tension in shoulders that he was upset. She had no idea what to do. Her first reaction was anger—she did _not_ put up with that kind of thing—but seeing the confident young man she'd been talking with sitting there deflated, she couldn't help but feel more than a little guilty.

Just as she was reaching across the table and opening her mouth to apologize, a blonde waitress with pigtails and more chest than Misty thought was remotely fair arrived with their drinks. The gym leader quickly pulled her hand back, giving the server a terse, "Thanks."

If the waitress picked up on Misty's tone or read the situation at all, she didn't show it. After placing the drinks on the table, she turned to Misty with a vacant smile and perkily asked, "Are you ready to order?"

Misty growled under her breath, briefly considering sending out her Gyarodos and seeing if the young woman would pick up on its mood. Instead, she glanced down at the menu, quickly scanned it, and said, "We'll have two of the fresh berry salads and a plate of watercress sandwiches to share."

"Great choice! We just got fresh veggies from the last harvest in today. I'll be back with your food in just a few minutes," the waitress said, still wearing the same vacant smile. Seemingly oblivious to Gary's condition or Misty's growing irritation, she picked up their menus and finally turned and left.

Taking a moment to cool her head after dealing with the waitress, Misty almost jumped when Gary sarcastically said, "Brittany isn't exactly the brightest flame on the Chandelure, is she?"

"I'm not even sure she's lit," Misty quipped without thinking. Covering her mouth and hoping she hadn't said the wrong thing again, she slowly turned to find Gary leaning back against the booth with an amused grin. Despite his expression, he looked tired; the tension had drained from his body, but it had left him slumping his seat.

After a silence that couldn't possibly have been as long as it felt, he sighed and said, "It's alright. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have reacted like that. It wasn't even really about you. I just…" He trailed off and sighed, dropping his gaze to the table. Noticing his coffee, he picked it up and took a drink. When he lowered the cup, he looked up and met Misty's eyes for the first time since his outburst. In a tired, surprisingly bitter voice, he said "I don't exactly _want_ to be stuck in this little town, you know? I want to go see other regions and make a name for myself discovering new things. I don't have that luxury though. I'm not a kid anymore; I have responsibilities."

Misty was confused for a moment, then everything clicked. "Professor Oak," she said, her voice hushed.

"Yeah," Gary confirmed, looking out the window again. "He's getting older, and someone has to take care of him, take care of his lab."

"What about your parents? I don't know if they could run his lab, but Tracy might be able to help with that," Misty offered.

There was another lengthy pause, then without looking away from the window, Gary said, "My parents died a year before I left Pallet Town."

Misty's eyes widened and she gasped, her hand moving to cover her mouth. "Arceus. Gary, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

Gary turned to face Misty with a sad smile and shrugged. "It's life; things happen," he said in a voice that didn't quite match his words. "There's no reason for you to apologize."

"No. I mean, there is," Misty said awkwardly. She looked down at her tea, her orange hair falling around her face and obscuring it as she considered whether or not she should share why knew how much assumptions like that could hurt. It wasn't something she liked to talk about, but she felt like she owed it to Gary after what she'd said, or maybe that he would actually understand. After taking a sip of tea to wet her suddenly dry throat, she looked up and explained, "I know it can hurt when someone brings something like that up. I… Well, I never really knew my parents, and it always stings when someone assumes I had them in my life."

"Your parents died too?" Gary asked. His voice was hard to read, but judging from his face, he was definitely surprised.

"My mom did… giving birth to me," Misty said, looking back down at her cup and noticing that she was grasping it hard enough to make her knuckles white. It never got easier. "My dad just… left. Sorry, I know it's not the same the same thing." She couldn't believe she was telling Gary about her parents; she hadn't even told Ash or Brock. She couldn't exactly say nothing after bringing it up though, and she wasn't going to lie after Gary had been so open.

The young researcher reached across the table and gently placed his hand on Misty's. "It's not. I'm the one that should be apologizing. I'm sitting here using my parents as an excuse to complain about having to take care of gramps, while I got to grow up with them around. You didn't even know yours."

Gary's touch was comforting, and helped her keep what would usually be an embarrassingly explosive outburst down to a simmering growl. "I only really _want_ to know one of them; the other I'd be happy to introduce to Gyarodos though." Her sisters had fond memories of their father, but Misty could only see him as a coward who left four young girls with the huge responsibility of a running a gym. She thought she was past being angry about it, but apparently some wounds never really healed.

Gary quirked a smile. "Let me know if you do. I'm pretty sure my Electivire would like to get to know him too," he said, gently giving a comforting squeeze to the hand he was holding. Umbreon growled menacingly, and Gary added, "Apparently Umbreon too."

Misty looked up at Gary with an amused grin. Before could reply however, their server, Brittany, arrived with their food and immediately zeroed in on Gary's hand covering hers. "Wow, Gary! I didn't know you had a girlfriend."

Gary quickly pulled back his hand, insisting, "No, we're not—"

"R-right, he was just—" Misty stammered, shooting as far back against the edge of the booth as she could.

Brittany smiled and winked conspiratorially. Leaning forward to set down their food, she whispered, "Don't worry you lovebirds. I can keep a secret." Before Misty and Gary could try to explain, the young blonde bounced away humming happily.

Misty brought her hand to her forehead and ran it through her still-loose hair. In a defeated but amused voice, she asked, "She can't keep a secret, can she?"

Gary stared down at his salad and shook his head. In the same tone, he confirmed, "Not to save her life; it's going to be all over town in an hour."

"My sisters are going to be _overjoyed_ when they find out," Misty griped as she picked up her fork. An irritating situation was no reason not to enjoy what looked to be a delicious lunch.

Gary looked up from his plate and shot Misty a wry grin. With a bitter chuckle, he replied, "At least they probably won't hear anything. Do you know how many old women in this town feel compelled to find me someone to 'settle down with' so I can take care of the lab and ranch 'properly'? Here's a hint: it's all of them."

Misty leaned forward as she violently speared a bite of salad. Not to be outdone, she returned, "Just Pallet Town? Trust me, my sisters _will_ find out, and they'll tell people in the _league_. You have no Idea how gossipy gym leaders are. Brock _alone_ is going to have a field day."

"You think it won't get to the research community? I'm going to hear from other _regions_!" Gary countered, roughly snatching a sandwich from the middle of the table.

Misty swallowed her bite of salad, then practically shouted, "You think there aren't gym leaders in other regions?"

"Professors talk to all the new trainers!"

"Gym leaders talk to all the trainers challenging the league!"

"I guess we might as well actually go on a date then!"

"Why not? Everyone's going to think so anyway!" Misty shouted back, only realizing what she'd said after the words had left her mouth.

Gary opened his mouth, then closed it and blinked several times. He slowly leaned back and sat down, both of them having stood up and leaned forward until they were inches apart during the exchange. "Um… I mean…"

"We don't have to–" Misty began, sitting back down herself.

"Right," Gary interrupted. He was quiet for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face, then said, "I mean we could. Would you–"

Misty's eyes widened. "Wait. Are you asking me out?"

Gary chuckled, then smirked. "If you'd let me finish asking, yeah. Yeah, I am."

Misty froze. She had no idea how to respond. The question was completely unexpected. She didn't have much experience with guys, and what she did have was a disaster; it was one of the things in her life that she was most embarrassed, and frustrated, about. There was the whole mess with Ash, then when she moved back to Cerulean all the guys were either too scared to ask out the strong new gym leader or too distracted by her sisters.

Realizing she'd kept Gary waiting for way too long, Misty smiled awkwardly and asked, "You're joking, right? Why would you want to go out with me?"

Gary shook his head. "Really? You're a strong trainer, you're responsible, and you're not afraid to speak your mind." Grinning, he added, "You're pretty cute too."

Misty felt her cheeks warm up. He was actually serious. He wasn't exactly a nobody either. He was a rising researcher set to inherit a world-famous laboratory. More importantly, he was confident and was pretty cute himself. Finally, she answered, "Um. I guess. Sure, why not."

Gary smirked. It was little too amused for Misty's taste, but attractive nonetheless. "Cool. Let me give you my number and we can figure out the details later," he said, fishing a pokégear out of his pocket.

As Misty pulled her own off her belt, she tried to move the conversation back to more comfortable territory. "So, besides Umbreon–" the dark-type rubbed against her leg and trilled at its name "–Electivire, and Blastoise, what do you have on your team?"

* * *

Misty activated her pokéball and released Gyarodos into the Pallet Town bay.

Looking over the beast with a practiced eye, Gary let out a low whistle and said, "Wow, that is a good looking Gyarodos. You must take great care of it."

"Um, thanks," Misty said, blushing a bit. Gary didn't seem flustered, but everything felt a little different to her now that they were going to go on a date.

Shifting his gave back to Misty, Gary asked, "So I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Misty said as she climbed onto her pokémon, "after five. That's when I get off work."

"Got it. I'll be busy at the lab during the day anyway," the young researcher agreed.

"Okay. Um, later," Misty said, turning her Gyarodos toward the open water.

"See you later," she heard Gary call from behind as she started the long ride back to Cerulean City.

Slowly making her way out of the bay, Misty thought back on her day. She'd ridden down to Pallet Town for the rare chance to see her old crush and somehow ended up having lunch with his old rival. His old rival that she apparently had a date with, which still hadn't really sunk in.

Gary definitely wasn't the person she remembered. He was funny and handsome, but more importantly, he could actually be sensitive and relate too some of the less pleasant parts of her life. It wasn't just her parents, he understood having responsibilities that had to be put ahead of his own desires. Life had put them both through a lot and they were on their way to becoming responsible adults, unlike the gallivanting trainer she'd come to visit.

Maybe this was the next step forward. She could finally get over Ash and move on to the next phase in her life with someone who was on the same level. She was getting ahead of herself though; it was a bad habit of hers. It was just a date. Whether it went someplace or not, that was more than enough to be happy about by itself.

When the young gym leader cleared the bay and reached open water, she patted her Gyarodos' flank and told it that it could speed up. The pokémon let out a roar as it quickly accelerated, causing a spray of salt water to splash its rider and a gust of warm air to blow her still unbound hair behind her. It was exhilarating, and Misty made a conscious decision to stop thinking and just enjoy the feeling of racing across the waves. It was a beautiful evening and she was in her element; she could sort out her thoughts when she got back to Cerulean.

* * *

Hey there,

So, this is my first Pokémon fic. I'm sure the title is completely unoriginal and there are a thousand stories out there using it, but I'm terrible at names and that's the best I could think of. Anyway, this has been sitting half done for a _while_. In case it's not clear, this is set at the beginning of the first _Sun & Moon_ season. I have ideas for a few more stories following this one (including AU versions of the episodes with Brock and Misty), though I have no clue if I'll ever get around to actually writing them.

I hope you enjoy, and I hope you review. That said, no pressure; I've lurked plenty myself.


	2. Chapter 2

Misty paced anxiously back and forth in front of the video phone in her gym's foyer. The gym was locked up and her sisters were all out, but she was still worried. If she were being honest with herself, she was less anxious about being walked in on, and more concerned with the conversation she was about to have.

Swallowing, she steeled herself, slid onto the bench in front of the screen, and called up the coordinator academy her friend taught at in Hoenn. The phone rang a few times, then a familiar brunette appeared on the screen, the empty entrance to her school behind her. Excitedly she said, "Misty? It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, May," Misty replied genuinely, if with a bit less energy. She and the coordinator-turned-instructor had met briefly during May's time in Kanto, but had kept in touch on the phone and become good friends over the intervening years.

"It's so funny you called, I was just thinking about calling you," May said with an eager grin. "I have someone I want you to meet."

"Oh?" Misty asked, finding herself relieved at the distraction from her own reason for calling.

"Yeah, I think you'll have a lot in common, May explained. "Just… promise not to get mad. She can be a bit skittish."

"Me, angry?" Misty asked sarcastically. She was well aware of her reputation for having a temper, even if it was undeserved. Well, mostly undeserved.

"Just be nice," May said, before standing up and walking off-screen. A moment later she reappeared with a slim blonde sporting a somewhat rough-looking bob cut. "This is Serena, she's my best student."

Misty wondered why May would introduce her to one of her students, then the name clicked. "You're the girl who traveled with ash in Kalos!"

"Um… yeah," the girl said, somewhat flustered. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," Misty agreed. "One more for the club, huh?"

May chuckled. "Seriously. Honestly, that boy."

"Boy?" Serena asked.

"She means Ash," Misty clarified. "He's hardly a boy anymore though."

"Yeah," Serena said, more assertive than she had been so far.

May scoffed. "He still acts like one. Where is he now?"

"Alola," Misty said, idly amused.

"Kanto," Serena said at the same time. Confused, she asked, "Wait, what?"

"His mom's Mr. Mime won a trip to Alola. He was here maybe a _week_," Misty explained with an eye roll. "I'm sure he'll find another one over there."

"Her Mr. Mime won a trip?" May asked, confused.

"Wait, another what?" Serena interjected, saving Misty the trouble of trying to explain how a pokémon won a raffle.

"Another girl," Misty explained. "He picks one up in every region."

"No, there's no way he would do that," Serena said in disbelief, staring into space.

May placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Oh, honey," she said with deep sympathy. "You really didn't know."

Serena turned to May and said, "I mean, I knew you…"

Misty sighed and raised her hand, "I was with him for three regions."

"And all of you… like him?" the blonde asked, starting to tear up.

"Ew, no way," May answered immediately.

"Not anymore," Misty said a bit slower, shaking her head.

"Wait, seriously?" May asked before Serena could get a word in. "As in, not just in denial, but _actually _over him?"

"_Yes_," Misty said exasperatedly. "That's actually why I called, but maybe we should—"

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Serena cried out, "I _kissed _him!"

"_What?_" both of the older teens asked in shock, turning to look at the crying girl.

The blonde flinched and Misty felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment. "Sorry, that's just…"

"Yeah…" May agreed, equally abashed.

"I just…" Sabrina took a moment to wipe her eyes. "He was so nice when we were kids, and we had this big adventure together. I just thought I could kiss him and maybe he would remember me. I mean, he's so dense—"

"Yeah," first two companions of the trainer in question agreed.

"I just wanted to let him know how I felt before we went our separate ways. I thought maybe we could talk on the phone and…" The girl sighed. "I don't know anymore. I think... I think I'm going to go do some training."

Misty watched the girl drag herself out of her seat and practically stagger off-screen. Turning to May, who was watching after Sabrina, she asked, "Um, should you go after her?"

May turned back to Misty and shook her head, "I think she needs a little space. I mean, wouldn't you?"

Misty thought about it, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"So," May said, steepling her fingers and grinning, "why did you call? I believe you said something about being over Ash?"

"Uh, yeah," Misty said, avoiding eye-contact as she nervously brushed away an errant strand of hair.

"So does that mean you're under someone else?" May asked.

"_May! _" Misty exclaimed, scandalized.

"What?" May asked. Suddenly realizing what she'd said, she giggled and said, "Not like _that,_ although you're certainly old enough."

Feeling even more anxious than ever, Misty decided to just ask before she lost her nerve. "I'm not asking about _that_, but you and Drew have been going out for awhile now, right?"

Fighting an amused smile, May nodded. "A couple of years now, yeah. Took him long enough to ask me out."

"What do you, um, _do _on a date?" Misty asked, embarrassed beyond belief at asking her younger friend for advice on dating.

"Wait, you have a date?" May asked enthusiastically.

"Uh, yeah," Misty said in a small voice.

May grinned, "Do I know him?"

Misty sighed. Knowing May wouldn't drop the subject, answered, "You probably haven't met him, but I'm sure you've heard of him."

Leaning closer, her face filling Misty's screen, May insisted, "_Who?_"

"It's Gary Oak, okay?" Misty said in mild frustration, tired of beating around the bush. What did she have to be ashamed about anyway? "I went to Pallet Town to see Ash, he was gone, I met Gary, we had lunch, and he asked me out."

May sat back down on the bench, her eyes widening as she let out a low whistle. "Gary Oak. He is a _catch._ But wait, you already went on a date."

"No we didn't," Misty replied, confused.

"Misty, lunch is a date," May said matter-of-factly.

Misty shook her head. "No, he asked me out after."

"Yeah, on a second date," May replied.

"No… I…" Misty sighed and looked down. "It was a date, wasn't it?"

May chuckled, "Definitely a date."

Looking desperately back up at her friend, Misty said, "I still have no idea what I'm doing."

May smiled kindly. "Just be yourself and follow his lead. I'm betting he has the whole thing planned out."

It wasn't much, but for some reason it helped. Misty smiled weakly. "Thanks, May. I'll follow your advice, although it's not exactly much to go on."

"Just remember to be yourself, and have a little confidence. He asked you out, he's already interested," May said firmly.

"I'll keep that in mind," Misty agreed, her smile becoming more genuine. Remembering what happened earlier, she added, "You'd better go check on Serena."

May's eyebrows shot up and she hurriedly said, "Oh, wow. You're right. Promise to call me and let me know how it goes?"

Misty chuckled. "You'll be my first call, now go help that poor girl."

"Right, bye," May said before her image winked out.

Misty turned off her own phone, then stood up and stretched; sitting on a phone bench always cramped her up. She felt better after talking to May, if a bit worried about that Serena girl; she knew better than anyone what it was like to pine after Ash. She would have to talk to her and give her some advice some time. Thinking about Ash, something hit her. She really was over him. She hadn't felt even a twinge of jealousy when she heard Serena kissed him. Shock, sure, but not jealousy.

Misty stretched again and decided that an evening swim was exactly what she needed to get the thoughts of dates and former crushes out of her head. With a hopeful attitude, she headed up to her room to change.


End file.
